St. Joe’s student takes first at STEM fair

Gavin Radel, a student at St. Joe’s in Waconia, captured first prize in the 6th – 8th grade category at the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence’s Big Bang C-STEM Fair held April 13 at Visitation School in St. Paul. His project was an automatic fish feeder.

Gavin took home a $1,000 individual prize and a $500 grant to his school’s STEM program for the honor.

Big Bang C-STEM provides an opportunity for students to showcase their advancements in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and compete for prizes for themselves and their school to kickstart a lifelong love of science.

Nearly 120 students from 29 Catholic schools across Minnesota presented their STEM projects. Presenting students had their projects pre-selected by judges to compete in this event. All finalists are in grades 3-8.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei was on hand to share his own presentation with students and celebrate in their success. This event was organized by the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence (CSCOE) and sponsored by Bluum. More information can be found at: https://cscoe-mn.org/2024-big-bang-cstem-fair/ .